Athletics first baseman Nick Kurtz extended his hitting streak to four games during Saturday's contest against the New York Yankees. It was a quiet game from Kurtz until he blasted a three-run home run off right-hander Clarke Schmidt in the sixth inning. Kurtz has been crushing the ball lately with seven home runs over his last 13 games. He finished this game 1-for-4 with a homer, three RBI, and a walk in the 7-0 win. Kurtz has been hot with the bat lately and should be picking up steam on the waiver wire.

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Atlanta Braves catcher Drake Baldwin is headed to the bench ahead of Saturday's game against the Philadelphia Phillies. Baldwin is absent after starting in three of the last four games. During that span, Baldwin has gone 1-for-10 at the plate, so he could use a day off to reset. In his absence, Sean Murphy will do the catching and bat sixth versus left-hander Jesus Luzardo on Saturday. Baldwin doesn't see enough playing time to warrant rostering in anything more than deep leagues.

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Athletics starting pitcher JP Sears was sharp on the mound during Saturday's game against the New York Yankees. Sears has been hit around quite a bit lately, but put together arguably his best performance of the season on Saturday. Sears tossed 5 scoreless innings, allowing two hits, walking three batters, and striking out four in the win. He handed the ball over to Jack Perkins who helped stop the Yankees offense and complete the 7-0 shutout. Sears will take a 5.09 ERA into his next outing against the San Francisco Giants. He's really only worth looking at in deep leagues right now.

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Chicago Cubs catcher Carson Kelly is absent from the starting lineup ahead of Saturday's game against the Houston Astros. This appears to be a routine rest day for Kelly who has started in each of the last two games. During that span, Kelly went 3-for-7 with an RBI, one walk, and two runs scored. In his absence, Reese McGuire will start behind the plate and bat ninth versus right-hander Lance McCullers Jr. on Saturday. Fantasy managers should remove Kelly from their lineups ahead of first pitch.

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Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder/infielder Tommy Edman (ankle) remains out of the starting lineup ahead of Saturday's game against the Kansas City Royals. This appears to be a routine rest day for Edman, but he has also been nursing an ankle injury. That being said, the Dodgers have been mainly keeping Edman in the infield lately. However, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Edman's ankle is good enough for him to return to the outfield. That means, Hyeseong Kim figures to see most of his playing time at second base, which is his primary position.

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Baltimore Orioles right-hander Zach Eflin departed his start against the Tampa Bay Rays on Saturday with tightness in his lower back, according to Jake Rill of MLB.com. Eflin exited after allowing four earned runs on five hits in the first inning. The Orioles replaced him with righty Scott Blewett. It was the third straight disastrous start for Eflin, who combined to throw eight innings of 13-run ball with 22 hits allowed over his previous two outings. The 31-year-old has recorded a bloated 5.95 ERA with 42:11 K:BB and a 1.44 WHIP in 62 innings. He was on the 15-day injured list earlier this season with a lat strain and could require another trip to the IL if his back issue proves serious.

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Atlanta Braves outfielder Michael Harris II is not in the lineup for the team's game against the Philadelphia Phillies on Saturday. Eli White will man center field in Harris' place and bat seventh in a matchup with Phillies left-hander Jesus Luzardo. The lefty-swinging Harris could also sit Sunday against Phillies southpaw Ranger Suarez. per Mark Bowman of MLB.com. Manager Brian Snitker said he hopes the time off will give Harris a chance to clear his head. Harris has stolen 11 bases and racked up 43 RBI, but he has batted a hideous .212/.238/.320 with six home runs in 326 plate appearances.

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Baltimore Orioles infielder Jordan Westburg (finger) will not require a stint on the 10-day injured list, interim manager Tony Mansolino said Saturday. Westburg aggravated a left index finger injury on Friday and was out of the lineup Saturday against the Tampa Bay Rays as a result. He could miss "a couple of days," according to Mansolino. The 26-year-old has already spent over a month on the IL this season with a strained left hamstring. Since returning on June 10, Westburg has hit a solid .250/.327/.523 with three homers, eight RBI, and eight runs scored.

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Los Angeles Dodgers rookie infielder/outfielder Hyeseong Kim has turned heads in limited playing time this season. The 26-year-old has only amassed 83 plate appearances in 35 games, but he has slashed a robust .372/.410/.538 with two homers, 12 RBI, 15 runs scored, and six stolen bases. Tommy Edman (ankle) has been the Dodgers' primary choice at second base despite dealing with ankle issues. However, Edman is now healthy enough to play the outfield on a more regular basis, manager Dave Roberts said Saturday. As a result, Kim could see more playing time at the keystone. He started at second and batted eighth against Kansas City Royals right-hander Seth Lugo on Saturday, while Edman took a seat. Kim is only rostered in 11% of Yahoo leagues, but that number will increase if Roberts does pencil his name into the lineup more often.

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Houston Astros shortstop Jeremy Pena (ribs) is taking a seat for the team's game against the Chicago Cubs on Saturday. Pena left early in the Astros' 7-4 win over the Cubs on Friday after taking a pitch off the left side of his ribs. He's day-to-day for now and will look to continue a career year when he returns. Pena is slashing .322/.378/.489 with 11 homers, 40 RBI, 48 runs scored, and 15 steals in 350 plate appearances. Mauricio Dubon will take Pena's place at short on Saturday and bat ninth against Cubs right-hander Colin Rea.

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Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Garrett Mitchell (shoulder) will undergo surgery on his ailing left shoulder on Tuesday, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports. His timeline to return is unclear, but Brewers manager Pat Murphy is hopeful that Mitchell will be able to play again this season. The 26-year-old originally landed on the 10-day injured list on April 26 with a strained left oblique. He was on his way back from that before suffering the shoulder injury on a minor league rehab assignment last week. Mitchell is now set for his second left shoulder procedure after previously going under the knife in April 2023. This has been a lost season to this point for Mitchell, who hit .206/.286/.394 in 78 homer-less plate appearances before going on the IL. He won't have a chance to improve on those numbers for the foreseeable future.

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The Tampa Bay Rays announced that they have designated right-hander Forrest Whitley for assignment and recalled lefty Joe Rock from Triple-A Durham. This is the second DFA of the year for Whitley, formerly a standout prospect with the Houston Astros. After almost nine years in their organization, the Astros jettisoned Whitley from their 40-man roster three weeks ago and then traded him to the Rays for cash considerations on June 13. Whitley logged three straight scoreless appearances to begin his Rays tenure, but the wheels came off in his two most recent outings. He combined to allow a whopping eight earned runs on nine hits and two walks over just one frame in those appearances. Another team could take a chance on Whitley via waivers or a trade in the coming days, but it doesn't help that the unproven 27-year-old is out of minor league options.

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The Toronto Blue Jays have recalled infielder Will Wagner from Triple-A Buffalo and optioned outfielder Alan Roden, the team announced. The 26-year-old Wagner is returning to the majors after spending two months in the minors. The Blue Jays demoted him April 29 after he batted a non-threatening .186/.284/.220 with no home runs in 68 plate appearances. Wagner hit a much better .271/.347/.447 with three homers in 95 Triple-A plate appearances to earn another chance in the bigs. He'll provide depth at third base behind Ernie Clement, who has put together a productive season. Roden, 25, is headed back to the minors after hitting just .206/.279/.309 with one HR in 111 trips to the plate with the Jays. He has raked in 83 plate appearances at the Triple-A level this year, having slashed .361/.446/.583 with three long balls.

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San Francisco Giants third baseman Casey Schmitt (wrist) was a late scratch from Saturday's lineup against the Chicago White Sox. The Giants initially had Schmitt penciled in to start at third and bat fifth, but they'll instead use Christian Koss at the hot corner and lead him off against White Sox starter Adrian Houser. Schmitt hasn't played since he took a 95 mph sinker from Miami Marlins reliever Calvin Faucher off the left wrist on Wednesday. X-rays came back negative, but with Schmitt scratched Saturday, it's an injury that's still worth monitoring. Schmitt has hit a highly productive 20-for-60 with four home runs and 12 RBI this month, so hopefully he'll be able to return soon. The Giants are already without injured starting third baseman Matt Chapman (hand), which has opened the door for Schmitt.

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Cleveland Guardians third baseman Jose Ramirez (forearm) is in Saturday's lineup and hitting third against St. Louis Cardinals starter Miles Mikolas. Ramirez left the Guardians' 6-0 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays early on Thursday after taking a Kevin Gausman fastball off the right forearm. After sitting out Friday's 5-0 loss to the Cardinals, he's ready to return to a slumping lineup. Ramirez is in the midst of another great year, having hit .317/.378/.514 with 13 homers, 38 RBI, 21 steals, and 43 runs scored over 325 plate appearances.

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Chicago White Sox outfielder Luis Robert Jr. (hamstring) is not in Saturday's lineup against San Francisco Giants left-hander Robbie Ray. Robert hasn't played since leaving early in Wednesday's 7-3 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks with tightness in his hamstring. It's unknown whether he'll require a trip to the injured list. For now, the White Sox will go with Michael A. Taylor in center. He's batting seventh against Ray, who has been one of the NL's top starters this year.

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Colorado Rockies catcher/designated hitter Hunter Goodman (hamstring) will miss his third straight game on Saturday against the Milwaukee Brewers. Goodman hasn't played since Wednesday because of hamstring tightness. The hope is that it won't require a stint on the injured list, as Goodman has emerged as a terrific option for both the Rockies and fantasy managers. The 25-year-old is slashing .287/.332/.512 with 14 home runs, 48 RBI, and 40 runs scored in 310 plate appearances. Braxton Fulford will take his place and bat seventh Saturday against Brewers right-hander Quinn Priester. Fulford has gone an impressive 8-for-24 with 10 RBI this month.

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Seattle Mariners second baseman Jorge Polanco and third baseman Ben Williamson are resting for Saturday's divisional tilt on the road against the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Field. Cole Young will start at third base and hit ninth, while Miles Mastrobuoni is at the keystone and batting eighth against Rangers right-hander Kumar Rocker. Polanco has managed to stay healthy so far this year and is currently slashing a modest .248/.302/.434 with a .736 OPS, 11 home runs, 38 RBI, 26 runs scored and three stolen bases in 67 games played. The switch-hitting Dominican infielder has really struggled of late, though, going 5-for-35 (.143) with a double, three RBI, one steal, three runs and a 7:4 K:BB in 10 games since June 15. Those setting DFS lineups shouldn't be getting excited at all about using either Mastrobuoni or Young as deep sleepers near the bottom of Seattle's lineup.

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Cincinnati Reds manager Terry Francona said that the team is talking about going the non-surgical route with outfielder Jake Fraley's shoulder. Fraley was diagnosed with a partial tear in the labrum of his shoulder and was placed on the 10-day injured list on Friday. It's good news for the 30-year-old veteran, but he's still likely going to miss significant time going into the second half of the season. Fantasy managers in deeper mixed leagues shouldn't be obligated to hold onto the left-handed-hitting outfielder who only plays against righty pitchers. It's not as if he was producing big numbers before his injury, hitting .224/.331/.376 with a .707 OPS, five home runs, 17 RBI, 24 runs and four steals in 125 at-bats. Will Benson and Rece Hinds will most likely form a platoon in right field for the Reds with Fraley sidelined indefinitely.

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Cincinnati Reds corner infielder Christian Encarnacion-Strand is absent from the starting lineup for Saturday's game against the visiting San Diego Padres at Great American Ball Park. Santiago Espinal is starting at the hot corner and will bat ninth against Padres right-hander Randy Vasquez. Since returning from the injured list on June 6 due to a back injury, Encarnacion-Strand has gone 13-for-54 (.241) with three home runs, two doubles, 10 RBI and six runs scored. The 25-year-old former fourth-rounder by the Minnesota Twins in 2021 out of Oklahoma State has plenty of power as a corner infielder in deep-mixed leagues, but he's hitting just .198 (22-for-111) with five home runs, 15 RBI and 10 runs scored in 2025. Espinal is still searching for his first long ball on the year and has never faced Vasquez in his career. DFS managers should avoid him in the nine-hole on Saturday.

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